First Act offers a range of distinctive looking guitars from the affordable SFA models (produced in the Far East), to big bucks US-made axes. Endorsees include Brent Hinds of Mastodon, Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy and Pete Koller of Sick Of It All.

First Act’s guitars have girly names: Lola, Delia and Sheena. According to First Act, each of its ‘girls’ has a distinct personality; our Lola is ‘free spirited, deep and complex. Take the time to get to know her - the rewards will be considerable and long-lasting. Er, what? We’re guessing they named this guitar after the song Lola by The Kinks, the one about the transvestite who walks like a woman but talks like a man. We could be wrong, of course…

Marketing toss aside, it’s always good to see a company make a strong visual statement with a budget instrument. That big slab of a body helps to set Lola apart from the crowd. We also appreciate the access to the upper frets. Along with the slim neck profile, that access makes this a very player-friendly guitar.

Plus Lola sounds beefier than a herd of Aberdeen Angus.

Verdict

The humbucker has a ‘dark, brown voice’ just like the fella in the dress in the Kinks song. Lola has the goods to kick ass in any style of music. Figure in that price tag and you’re definitely on to a winner.

5 Stars

Pros: Individual looks, beefy sounds.
Cons: Hard to fault at this price.

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